An Interview with Diane Wei Liang

What was the first book you remember falling in love with?

First Chinese book:  The Legend of the Monkey King.
First Western book:  Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

Which book do you wish you had written and why?

Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami.  It's hauntingly original. 

Which writer has influenced you most?

Annie Proulx who said that the essence of fiction is in the details.

What was the last book you read?

The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch.

Which book would you take to a desert island, and why? 

I'd like to take This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  It's raw and full of beauty.

If you were not a writer what job would you do?

A Psychotherapist.

If you could be any fictional character who would you be?

Natasha from War and Peace by Tolstoy.

If you could be any figure from history who would you be?

Napoleon.

Where is your favourite place in the world?

Paris.

When and where do you write?

I write in my study at home during the day when my children are at school and at night after they've gone to bed. I also like to write on holiday.

Where do you get the ideas for your books from?

From newspapers, people I meet in Beijing or a favourite book from my youth.

Which living person do you most admire?

Bill Gates, the businessman and philanthropist.

Which book are you ashamed you haven’t read yet?

Ulysses.

What are you writing next?

The second novel in the detective Mei series. 

What are your favourite and least favourite things about being a writer?

Favourite: To go on a journey with my characters.
Least favourite:  When the journey is stuck in no-man's land. 

Do you read your reviews, good and bad, and do they make a difference to you?

Yes and they do. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?

Go ahead and do it.  That's how I got started.